No MRT service between Tanah Merah, Expo from March 14-17 due to upgrading works

SINGAPORE – There will be no train service on the East-West Line (EWL) between Tanah Merah and Expo stations from March 14 to 17, so that works to

disconnect train tracks linking the EWL to Changi Depot

can take place.

Commuters can take a shuttle bus between Tanah Merah and Expo, which will operate at intervals of about five to eight minutes during the affected period, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and rail operator SMRT in a joint statement on Feb 20.

Passengers may also use existing bus services to connect to other MRT lines, such as the Downtown Line, they said. Expo station is also on the Downtown Line.

LTA added that train service between Expo and Changi Airport will run at seven-minute intervals during peak hours. Train service between Tuas Link and Pasir Ris will continue to operate as normal.

This will be the third and final planned service suspension to link the EWL to the new East Coast Integrated Depot.

The first suspension, from Dec 7 to Dec 10, 2024, halted train service between Tanah Merah and Tampines to begin connecting the EWL to the new depot.

The second, from Nov 29 to Dec 8, 2025,

suspended service between Bedok and Tampines,

as well as between Tanah Merah and Expo, to complete the remaining track connections to the depot and connect a new platform at Tanah Merah station.

Construction on the

depot began in 2016

. The facility, which is set to open in the second half of 2026, will house train depots serving the East-West, Thomson-East Coast and Downtown lines, as well as a bus depot.

Meanwhile, train service on the Sengkang-Punggol LRT (SPLRT) will operate on a single loop for seven months, from April 19 to Oct 18.

This means there will be no service on the Sengkang West Inner Loop – via Cheng Lim station from Sengkang station – during this period, said LTA and SPLRT operator SBS Transit.

Commuters can use regular bus services or the Sengkang West Outer Loop via Renjong station, which will run entirely with two-car light rail vehicles (LRVs) to boost capacity, said LTA and SBS Transit.

A shuttle bus will also operate from Sengkang Bus Interchange on weekdays during peak hours – from 6am to 10am, and from 5.30pm to 9.30pm – to supplement LRT capacity.

The shuttle will ply different routes in the morning and evening to better match travel patterns, LTA and SBS Transit said. It will run at intervals of about three to five minutes and charge the same fares as LRT journeys.

Works being done at Layar LRT station to connect new tracks ahead of the Sengkang West Inner Loop closure.

ST PHOTO: JASEL POH

LTA and SBS Transit said extended engineering hours are needed to carry out major modifications to existing tracks, connect new tracks, and install and test signalling systems and equipment.

Commuters who board the shuttle buses before 7.30am or between 9am and 9.45am will continue to be eligible for the Travel Smart Journeys programme, which rewards those who travel outside peak hours.

The shuttle service will start on April 13, one week before the service adjustment begins. This will give commuters time to familiarise themselves with the service, said LTA and SBS Transit. Crowd marshals will also be on hand to assist commuters.

To meet growing demand on the SPLRT,

its fleet is being progressively expanded

. There are currently 25 one-car LRVs and 16 two-car LRVs.

Works are ongoing to

expand the SPLRT depot

to accommodate a larger fleet, which will eventually comprise 33 two-car LRVs.

Since July 2025, new two-car LRVs have been progressively introduced to replace the first-generation fleet. By end-February, seven new two-car LRVs will be in passenger service, said LTA and SBS Transit.

Extended engineering hours are needed to carry out major modifications to existing tracks, connect new tracks, and install and test signalling systems and equipment.

ST PHOTO: JASEL POH

The remaining 18 new LRVs will be deployed progressively after depot expansion works are completed in 2027.

To support the larger fleet, the SPLRT depot is being expanded from 3.5ha to 11.1ha.

Sengkang LRT, which opened in 2003, has 14 stations across two loops. It connects residents in the area to the town centre, Sengkang MRT station on the North East Line, and Sengkang Bus Interchange.

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